Our guest of honour this month, Tim Hunter, is a distinguished member of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and has agreed to join us virtually to discuss dark nebulae.
The Barnard Objects – a Colorful Look at Dark Nebulae
Presentation: E.E. Barnard’s observations of dark nebulae have fascinated professional and amateur astronomers for over one hundred years. Barnard’s catalog of these objects is the first and the best-known catalog of dark nebular regions in the Milky Way. Barnard’s seminal work, the Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way, was published posthumously in 1927. Many of the objects he imaged on black-and-white photographic glass plates are now being captured daily in thousands of digital color images. In this presentation, Tim Hunter will give an overview of dark nebulae, and how astronomical imaging has advanced from Barnard’s early plates to today’s digital imaging. He will also review Barnard’s life and career, emphasizing his role as one of astronomy’s greatest visual observers and his seminal work in introducing photography into professional astronomy. Some important Barnard Objects will be illustrated in both black and white and color. Modern research of dark nebulae and their importance in star formation will be summarized.
Tim Hunter has been an amateur astronomer since 1950, a TAAA member since 1975, and is the owner of two observatories, the 3towers Observatory and the Grasslands Observatory (http://www.3towers.com). Tim has served as President of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Planetary Science Institute (PSI). Since 1986, Tim has been interested in the growing problem of light pollution. In 1987, he and Dr. David Crawford founded the International Dark-Sky Association, Inc. (IDA). IDA (now DarkSky) is a nonprofit corporation devoted to promoting quality outdoor lighting and combatting the effects of light pollution. Since 2007, Tim has written the weekly “Sky Spy” column for the Caliente Section of the Arizona Daily Star. His latest book is The Barnard Objects—Then and Now. Asteroid 6398 is named Timhunter.
Our meeting will begin at 7:30pm. You can attend in person at the Cronyn Observatory on the Western campus, or join us via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82350783783 (or use the Zoom app with meeting ID 82350783783 with no password)